


Gang Aft Agley

by Glory_Jean



Series: Hope [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff, Post Episode: s02e13 Doomsday, Time Babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-14
Updated: 2010-06-14
Packaged: 2017-12-04 13:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glory_Jean/pseuds/Glory_Jean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes kids grow up faster than you might like. Post DD AU, babyfic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gang Aft Agley

**Author's Note:**

> Beta [](http://achuislemochroi.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://achuislemochroi.livejournal.com/)**achuislemochroi**  
>  Written for [](http://never-ever-will.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://never-ever-will.livejournal.com/)**never_ever_will** "Celebrations" contest, Prompt 10, Photo 13
> 
> Once again many thanks to my lovely beta for the title. Here ya go [](http://mrs-roy.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://mrs-roy.livejournal.com/)**mrs_roy** : baby fic at last. ;)
> 
> PS: and thanks to [](http://milieva.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://milieva.livejournal.com/)**milieva** for spotting my little technical difficulties. ;)
> 
> ______________________________________________________

He pulled Rose up and over the cliff side, letting her catch her breath on solid ground. When she straightened, he grabbed her hand and prodded her onward, not letting her look back toward the steep trail they had just left. In her current state, the sight tended to make her feel more exhausted rather than encourage her. It would be dark in a few hours but they were still a day's walk from the TARDIS and nothing close to adequate shelter had, as yet, presented itself.

Behind him Rose was slowing, dragging on his hand, but he ignored her, determined to get them away from this exposed mountaintop. Then she suddenly yanked her hand away from his. He turned to see her cradling her belly and gasping. Her face was pale and her eyes wide, and fear settled like a cold lump in his hearts.

"Rose?" He rushed to support her, worried she was about to collapse. "What is it? Are you ill?"

She shook her head.

"No – I don't know. It's getting better now. I started having contractions or something. Am I....?"

He ran his sonic screwdriver over her swollen belly and brightened.

"Nah, you're fine. Both of you are fine. This is just your body's way of telling us you are overdoing it. We need to let you rest for bit."

He guided her to some smoother boulders and helped her to sit.

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not as long as we are careful," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. I've been pushing you too hard. I should have realised. I just wanted to get you out of these mountains and back home. Not to mention —"

"Hope."

He nodded, keeping his face carefully neutral.

"Think she’s okay?"

"Aww, of course she is. She's brilliant. She's safe and sound in the TARDIS and has everything she needs."

"Except parents."

"Well, there's that, yes."

"Has my mobile finished charging yet? Can we at least call her?"

"Soon," he promised.

She nodded and they fell silent for a while, each staring out over the scenery. Really, the mountains were a rather amazing sight: ruggedly beautiful and mottled with vividly-coloured minerals. Rose ran her hand over a nearby boulder bright with pinks and greens.

"Granite," he murmured. "It forms close to a planet's crust and is pushed up as the tectonic plates shift. These mountains are largely composed of it."

"Pretty," she said, weakly.

"Yeah, it is. In your time on Earth, someone would be trying to cut that up into a counter-top." He tried to sound cheerful, but it sounded flat even to his own ears. "Still," he couldn't resist adding, "granite commonly contains uranium – so you have to wonder about the wisdom of decorating with it."

Rose's eyes widened in alarm.

"Uranium?"

She struggled awkwardly to her feet. She may have been only about half-way through her pregnancy but it had already affected her center of gravity.

"Radiation? Will it hurt the baby?"

"No, no-no," he hurriedly assured her. "In most cases, the levels are very low and it's mainly in enclosed spaces over long periods of time where the problems can develop."

Still, she glanced suspiciously over her shoulder at the boulders, one arm wrapped protectively over her belly. The Doctor wanted to kick himself. She would be delivered before he learned to keep his mouth shut. Rose in mummy-mode had nothing on Rose in baby-on-board mode. He imagined she must have driven her family mental the first time around.

Since she refused to sit back down, giving him a scowl that rivalled his own when he tried to insist, they set off again. It was another hour of hard, dusty trails before he spotted a low enclosure in the rock formed by some sort of rock fall – not fully a cave but close enough. He led Rose to it, trading glares as she sarcastically reminded him about his "enclosed spaces" comment.

"Rose. In. _Now._ " He fixed her with a look, wondering if she could see traces of the Oncoming Storm in the face he turned towards her.

She frowned back, her face set, arms folded and resting on the swell of her abdomen. After a few moments she sighed heavily and gave him the same look she gave their daughter when she was being argumentative. She moved forward and ducked into the shelter of the rocks. Once she was settled, he slid in beside her, trying to arrange his long legs in the cramped space. After giving him one last glare for good measure, she nudged his side until he slipped his arm around her.

"You're working hard to get yourself in a spot today, aren't you?" she said into his coat.

He ruffled his hair.

"Is that rhetorical? Or this a trick question?"

Rose snorted.

"No, just a fact."

"Oh, Rose," he sighed, "I'm —"

He was interrupted by a buzzing noise coming from his coat pocket. He reached in and drew out Rose's mobile phone.

"All charged up."

She hurriedly took it from him and dialled the TARDIS, keying the phone over to the speaker. On the fifth ring Rose cast the Doctor a fearful look, biting her lip uncertainly. After one more ring the line was picked up and a scrabbling noise, followed by a thud, was heard.

"Mummy?" Hope's voice scared little voice came clearly over the line.

"Yes! We're here sweetheart."

"Mummy! I was so worried. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, we're both fine." She elbowed the Doctor who had become distracted by fiddling with the sonic.

"Oh, right, yes, tip-top. Absolutely splendid and all that, you know. I’m right... _Any_ way, are you behaving yourself?"

"Of course I am!" Hope sounded offended.

The Doctor grinned at Rose.

"What have you been doing?"

"Waiting for you! It's boring mostly. And... a little scary,"she admitted. "Are you coming back soon?"

"Just as soon as we can," Rose said with false cheer.

"Okay." Hope was trying to sound brave, but her voice quivered just a bit.

"We might not make it back tonight. Mummy is very tired. But her mobile is working now; call us right away if you need to talk."

"And make sure you eat something," Rose broke in.

"Don't worry about _that_ ," Hope said with a disgusted little sigh. "I found out where all those chocolate biscuits and bananas kept disappearing to. The TARDIS stole them from the past, I think. The cupboards are full of them."

"Cheeky girl," the Doctor murmured. "Still, she means well."

"Well, don't overdo the biscuits, sweetheart. You wouldn't want to get sick."

" _Mummy_ ," Hope said in a long suffering tone. "I'm not a _child_."

Rose smiled at last. "But you are your father's daughter, and that's close enough."

"I think," the Doctor said with great dignity, "I've just been insulted."

They were rewarded with a giggle from the other end of the line and Rose shot him a grateful smile.

"I'm sorry, love, we need to end the call for now. I want to keep the battery charged, if you need to talk later. That all right?"

Hope hesitated a moment before she answered. "Yeah."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rose asked her.

"Yeah."

"And remember," the Doctor added, "do not leave the TARDIS for any reason. Promise me."

"No wandering off. I promise."

They said their goodbyes and Rose sadly ended the call. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Rose shivered suddenly and moved closer to the Doctor, trying to burrow into his coat.

"Cold?"

"Yeah, it's chilly here when you're standing still."

"Mountain air – gotta love it." He removed the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and aimed it at the cliff side. "This, though, I can fix."

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just exciting the molecules of this section of rock here. Creating a handy little side effect known as 'heat.'" He grinned broadly as a square of rock began to glow faintly. "See? Lovely."

Rose shook her head and smiled.

"You're so terribly clever."

She was being slightly sarcastic but he chose to take it as a compliment and grinned broadly, snuggling her against him.

"It'll be dark in an hour or so."

She jerked upright.

"Then what are we doing here?"

He squinted at her. "What do you mean?"

"Why are we wasting time here?"

"It's shelter. I can't guarantee we'll find another spot before dark."

"I'll be fine —"

"Not a chance. It's too risky."

"But —"

" _No_ , Rose. We have to think about the baby."

"I _am_ ," she said miserably.

He laid a hand on her belly and sighed.

"I know," he murmured. "Just not this one."

Rose groaned in defeat and laid her head back on his shoulder.

"We'll call her again near her bedtime."

"Okay," she said in a small voice. "I just wish you could use your sonic to call the TARDIS to us."

"No, we're too —" He started and blinked. "What did you say?"

"I —"

"Oh, you're brilliant, you are."

"So you can —"

"No, no," he brushed her off impatiently. "We're too far. I'd need the exact co-ordinates in all the dimensions," he said, fumbling in his pockets.

"Then what are you going on about?"

He continued as if she hadn't spoken.

" _Or_ a very specific type of signal booster." With a triumphant sound he produced Rose's mobile and dialled quickly.

"Hope!" he said, casting a smug grin at Rose. "I have a job for you."

 

***

The sound of the TARDIS wheezing into being in front of them was like a song of triumph to Rose's ears. She was so busy fixating on the sight and the feel of the wind rising as the air was displaced around it, she barely noticed the Doctor helping her to her feet.

Moments later they were walking through the doors and the Doctor was receiving a tackling hug from an enthusiastic ten-year-old who then turned to give Rose a more careful hug.

"Come on, come on!" Hope demanded without pausing to take a breath. Grabbing each one by the hand, she pulled them toward the inner doors.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked, not really expecting an actual answer.

"You'll see!"

She let them into a random room that had balloons strung around and small table of nibbles and fairy cakes complete with edible ball bearings.

"Oh that's nice!" the Doctor said instantly, snatching up a cake.

"Oh sweetheart, you didn't need to go through all that trouble just for us getting back to the TARDIS from some misadventure. You should know by now it happens at least twice a week."

"Oi!" the Doctor said around a mouthful of frosting.

"Oh, that's not what we are celebrating."

"No?"

"Not that I'm not _really_ happy you're back," Hope added hastily. "What we are celebrating though is Daddy agreeing to give me TARDIS flying lessons."

The Doctor choked on his third fairy cake.

"I— what?"

Hope just smiled brightly.

"I thought we had agreed that you are entirely too young to —"

"What? To be left on my own for days on end? To hotwire a TARDIS?"

"Um, welllllll..."

He cast a desperate glance at Rose. She merely popped a chocolate biscuit in his mouth and grinned.

"Eat up, Doctor. We're celebrating."

 

_______________________

Prompt:


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